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The Life and Lies...
Dartpaw is a normal apprentice in future ShadowClan. She's nothing special. but her life has been a lie, and now, she needs to know the truth by Kingszey!!! The Life and Lies: ShadowClan: Leader: Fallingstar: Pale brown with gold flecks, she cat, amber eyes. Deputy: Mallowfoot: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. Medicine Cat: Sparrowfall: white she-cat with brown paws. Blue eyes. Warriors: Thistlepatch: grey she cat with spiky fur and green eyes. Apprentice: Dartpaw Greysky: fluffy grey tom. Apprentice: Marshpaw Inkheart: Cunning black she-cat. Twistedtail: black tom with a broken tail. Apprentice: Leapingpaw Crackfoot: grey tom with black tabby stripes. Icegaze: beautiful white she cat with blue eyes. Apprentice: Daisypaw Berryleaf: slender faded grey she cat with green eyes. Apprentice: Hollowpaw. Orchardfoot: grey tabby she cat with yellow eyes. Whiskertwitch: small brown tabby tom. Apprentices: Dartpaw: black and white she-cat with amber eyes. Hollowpaw: light brown with a dark brown stripe down his back. Tom, green eyes. Daisypaw: pure white she cat with green eyes, very pretty, Hollowpaw’s sister. Leapingpaw: black tom with murky green-grey eyes. Marshpaw: golden tom with amber eyes. Queens: Patchtail: grey she cat with a few white spots, blue eyes. (Mother of Greysky’s kits: Sweetkit (tortoiseshell she cat) and Mossykit (black with ginger streaks, tom, green eyes) Raventail: black she cat. (Mother of Twistedtail’s kit: Falconkit: white tom with yellow eyes.) Foresteyes: grey tabby she cat with green eyes. (Expecting Crackfoot’s kits.) Elders: Ticklefeather: very pale grey, almost white, tom, blue eyes. Spiderfang: black tom with huge fangs and long legs. Amber eyes. ThunderClan: Leader: Skystar: huge dark grey tom. Deputy: Flickerfoot: beautiful golden she cat with piercing blue eyes. Medicine cat: drowningwhisper: beautiful grey tabby, very quiet. Apprentice: Sneakpaw. Warriors: Goldenfoot; golden tom with green eyes. Apprentice: Rockpaw Emberglow: black she cat with amber eyes Whiteowl: small white tom. Tailfeather: grey tom with a huge tail. Skyspirit: grey and white she cat, blue eyes: Apprentice: flutterpaw Lightdance: yellow she cat with green eyes. Dreamcatcher: old brown tom, refuses to retire to the elders. Apprentices: Rockpaw: black tom with green eyes. Flutterpaw: pretty grey tabby she cat with blue eyes. Sneakpaw: pale ginger tom with black paws. Queens: Mothflight: pale brown she cat. (Mother of Whiteowl’s kits: Shrewkit, Mousekit and Birdkit.) Frozenfoot: pale grey queen with a white paw. (Expecting Tailfeather’s kits.) Elders: Cloudbelly: black tom with a white belly. Raindance; grey she cat with darker flecks. Treefoot: brown tom with green eyes. WindClan: Leader: Thornstar: Deputy: Cavetooth: Medicine cat: Hollyflower: black she cat with green eyes. Warriors; Grassyfoot: tabby tom with green eyes and large paws. Apple-eye: bronze she cat with green eyes. Runningstream: tabby she cat with blue eyes. Apprentice: Brookpaw Redsky: red-ish brown tom, blue eyes. Sunpelt: ginger she cat with white paws. Apprentice: Bluepaw Trickstep: pale yellow tom, amber eyes, long legs. Leopardspots: golden she cat with black flecks. Apprentice: Rabbitpaw Honeyfur: beautiful golden she cat. Apprentice: Whitepaw. Pinkdawn: grey she cat with a pink nose. Apprentices: Brookpaw: small brown she cat with white paws. Rabbitpaw: dusty brown tom. Bluepaw: grey she cat with vivid blue eyes. Whitepaw: strong white tom with green eyes. Queens: Foxstep: russet she cat. (Mother of Trickstep’s kits: Beekit, Burrkit and Wildkit.) Rollinghill: black she cat with green eyes. (Expecting Redsky’s kits) Elders: Wolfheart: once fearless grey tom. Moonshimmer: white she cat. RiverClan: Leader: Troutstar: pale brown tom, green eyes. Deputy: Yellowstone: big yellow tom with green eyes. Medicine Cat: Salmonflip: grey tabby she cat with a pink nose. Apprentice: Quickpaw. Warriors: Brakenthorn: ginger tom with blue eyes. Whitefang: black and white tom. Apprentice: Dustypaw Hotfoot; ginger tom with white paws. Jumpfoot: big black tom, green eyes. Apprentice: Mosspaw Riverbed: sand coloured she-cat, blue eyes. Reedshade: brown tabby tom, amber eyes. Flamestripe: ginger tom, blue eyes. Apprentice: Webpaw Thawfoot: dark grey she cat with one white paw. Duskpelt: pure white she cat: Apprentice: Silkpaw Apprentices; Quickpaw: white she cat, green eyes. Dustypaw: pale ginger tom, green eyes. Mosspaw: tabby tom with blue eyes. Webpaw: dark grey tom, amber eyes. Silkpaw: fluffy grey and white she cat. Queens: Hazeleye: grey tabby she cat with unusual brown eyes. (Expecting Flamestripe’s kits) Elders: Blackpelt: black tom, green eyes. Cinderclaw: grey tom, amber eyes. Ashbark: brown tabby tom, very small, blue eyes. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter One “Tell me where it is,” Hollowpaw hissed into Dartpaw’s ear, unsheathing his claws and making sure they caught the light. Dartpaw gulped. They had been freshly sharpened. “I won’t,” she mewed bravely, though apprehension wormed its way into her voice. “Tell me,” Hollowpaw repeated, tightening his grip on the black and white she-cat. Dartpaw spat up at him. Hollowpaw snarled. Dartpaw screamed as the claws made contact with her throat, running lightly over the skin, tickling her until she could take it no more. “I give up!” she yowled, tears streaming from her eyes. “I hid it under the moss of my nest.” Hollowpaw let her up. “That’ll teach you not to steal the last mouse!” her best friend flicked her ear with his tail before stalking off to the apprentice den, in search of his meal. Dartpaw stretched, eyes closed, still slightly breathless after their game. As she opened her eyes, she noticed a patrol leaving the camp. She sighed wistfully. She and Hollowpaw had been confined to camp for a moon after crossing into RiverClan territory and picking a fight with a patrol. They asked for it, ''Dartpaw grumbled in her head, remembering the way the big yellow tom had called them mangy ShadowClan kits. How was she supposed to know that the tom was Yellowstone, RiverClan deputy and one of the most respected cats in the Clans? Fallingstar, the leader of ShadowClan, had been furious, especially when she had to apologize to Troutstar in front of the whole Gathering. Dartpaw winced at the way she had caught the eyes of Dartpaw and Hollowpaw and promised that they would be ‘appropriately punished’. However, staying in camp to look after the elders and queens hadn’t been too bad; the two of them worked quickly and had heaps of time to play. Daisypaw, Hollowpaw’s sister approached Dartpaw and sat down, flicking mud disdainfully off her claws. Dartpaw always thought that the white she-cat was too delicate to be a Warrior, and would be more suited to be being the apprentice of Sparrowfall, the medicine cat. ''But she enjoys flirting with the toms too much to be a medicine cat, ''Dartpaw thought with amusement. “How’s life stuck in camp?” Daisypaw sneered. Dartpaw continuously wondered about her. Sometimes she was nice, and a good friend to Dartpaw, but other times she was completely rude to her and Hollowpaw, and everyone except her male admirers. Dartpaw briefly wondered if Daisypaw thought of her as a threat to her in terms of attention from the toms, but pushed the thought from her mind. ''I’m nothing special. “It’s only a few more days,” she replied, realising that Daisypaw was still expecting an answer. Daisypaw sniffed, still finding something to be contemptuous about. “You certainly won’t be going to the Gathering, unlike me.” Dartpaw narrowed her eyes. “Who says you’ll be going?” she challenged. “Icegaze has promised me that I’m allowed to go.” She meowed. “Seeing as my hunting in so good and everything.” She gave a small shrug as if to say aren’t I always the best? Icegaze was Daisypaw’s mentor, and definitely the most beautiful cat in the clan, though Daisypaw was a close second. She had pure white fur and the most piercing blue eyes Dartpaw had ever seen. A flash of brown at the edge of her vision caught Dartpaw’s attention and she turned to see Hollowpaw strutting towards them, his green eyes – the only bit of him that proved Daisypaw was his sister - alight with satisfaction. As he reached them, Daisypaw turned up her nose and stalked angrily away. “What did you do to her?” Dartpaw asked, wondering which classic sibling feud had resurfaced. “This morning I accidentally-on-purpose shoved her into a mud puddle,” Hollowpaw admitted, looking completely unashamed. That’s a new one! “You didn’t!” Dartpaw squealed, trying not to laugh, as Daisypaw was watching them with livid eyes. Hollowpaw shrugged. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll be cleaning nests again tomorrow.” He added with a touch of a groan. The two apprentices padded into the gloomy apprentices den and lay down in their adjacent nests. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Two Dartpaw woke as paws sprinted into the apprentice den. She looked up, blinking to clear her eyes. The pawsteps belonged to Daisypaw and the other two apprentices, Leapingpaw and Marshpaw. Leapingpaw was pure black with murky green eyes and Marshpaw was golden with amber eyes. Both of the toms were flanking Daisypaw, who looked, as usual, pleased with herself and her beauty. Dartpaw realised that they had come back from the Gathering and sat up. Excitement lit their eyes, so something must have happened. “Wake up, Hollowpaw, wake up!” she kicked her friend, trying to rouse him. He only did wake up when Dartpaw added a bit of claw to the kicks. “Whassshappininnnn’?” he moaned, until he saw the three apprentices, and sat bolt upright. It had been hard to see all the other apprentices go without them, but at least they got the gossip anyway. “Well, it started when-“ Daisypaw began, but broke off when she was shoved aside by a jumping Marshpaw. Daisypaw looked shocked. No tom – except Hollowpaw, of course – had ever shoved her, not even in combat training. Marshpaw took no notice of her – a rare event – instead began to tell the story himself. “Well, Cavetooth of WindClan got up into the tree and announced that Thornstar was dead and that he was now Cavestar, leader of WindClan. But then Flickerfoot, the deputy of ThunderClan stood up and accused him of murdering Thornstar. And everyone got into this huge uproar and Flickerfoot was asked to tell the clans why she thought that, and it turns out that she had seen Cavetooth pacing just inside his territory, and talking to himself, reciting his plans.” Marshpaw paused to take a breath and Leapingpaw took up the story. “WindClan all said that she was lying and so ThunderClan said that she was telling the truth. So they started to fight, but RiverClan and ShadowClan broke it up. Then Cavestar gathered his warriors and announced that WindClan was at war with ThunderClan, before leaving all dramatically.” Hollowpaw and Dartpaw exchanged shocked glances. But Dartpaw couldn’t help but feel a little bit excited. If the clans were at war then maybe ShadowClan would fight. Dartpaw had been apprenticed at a peaceful time, so even though she had been an apprentice for four moons, she hadn’t fought a cat from another clan yet. Unless you count Yellowstone, and I don’t! That fight was over before it had begun. Dartpaw flexed her claws, somewhat reassured by the way they sunk into the moss and pierced the ground beneath. Silently, she vowed if a war with the other clans comes, I will be ready. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Three “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting.” Before Fallingstar had even finished saying the summons all the apprentices raced out of their den and into the clearing. Most of ShadowClan were already waiting there, wanting to hear what the leader would say. Fallingstar began by recounting the events of the Gathering, even though every cat already knew. Then she took a deep breath and announced “ShadowClan, I believe the Cavestar meant it when he announced that WindClan is at war with ThunderClan. We must all be prepared to fight.” “But why?” called out Thistlepatch, Dartpaw’s mentor. “WindClan are on the other side of the lake. They won’t come to us.” Before Fallingstar could reply, Twistedtail leaped up to face her. “Don’t be a mousebrain, Thistlepatch. If there is a battle between the clans, one of them will come to us for help. We’ll need to decide which one we will agree to.” Cats yowled agreement, but some looked uneasy. “It would be better to stay out of the way altogether! We shouldn’t risk our lives to fight a battle that we have no control over, and could be avoided.” Yowled Crackfoot. Twistedtail whipped around to face him. “The fate of one clan decides the fate of the other three.” Crackfoot curled his lip. “That is probably the most meaningless sentence I ever heard.” Twistedtail’s eyes flared. “If ThunderClan are driven out but WindClan, WindClan will take ThunderClan’s old territory. They’re already the most powerful clan, and with that amount of territory, they’d be even stronger. Do we want that on our borders?” “Again, you are trying to use your tongue to convince me,” Crackfoot snarled. “Real warriors fight with claws, not words.” “Are you saying I’m not a real warrior?” “Maybe I am!” The two warriors sprang at eachother, fighting with a ferocity that Dartpaw had never seen before. Fallingstar looked livid. “Break it up,” she growled to Greysky and her deputy, Mallowfoot. The cats nodded and sprang upon the fighting clanmates. Greysky roughly shouldered Crackfoot away, while Mallowfoot leaped onto Twistedtail’s back and jerked his head back. Fallingstar leaped down from her branch, her paws shaking with fury. Even Dartpaw shrank back nervously, even though she knew that the leader’s anger was not directed at her. “How dare you attack your clanmates!” she boomed, standing over the panting warriors. “Right now we are talking about threats from beyond our borders. But you shame the ancestors of ShadowClan by fighting eachother.” Both warriors looked suitably guilty, but anger gleamed behind their eyes. As Fallingstar turned away, Sparrowfall approached Crackfoot and Twistedtail with a mouthful of herbs. “Fallingstar, perhaps it would be better to discuss this with just the senior warriors, not the whole clan.” Mallowfoot suggested, flicking her tail toward where the Medicine Cat was treating her patients, as if to remind her that no good would come of this. Fallingstar gave her a long look before nodding. “Mallowfoot, Thistlepatch, Greysky, Twistedtail and Inkheart, come to my den. Crackfoot, send out hunting and border patrols as you see fit.” She ordered. Once the senior warriors had departed, the clan split up into murmuring gossiping groups, while Crackfoot tried to get their attention. Dartpaw was just about to ask Hollowpaw who he thought they should side with when Crackfoot let out a commanding yowl. All cats turned to him. “Finally,” he muttered. “The patrols will go like this: Leapingpaw and Marshpaw, seeing as your mentors are busy, you can come with me and Whiskertwitch on the ThunderClan border patrol. Icegaze, Daisypaw and Orchardfoot, you take the RiverClan border. Berryleaf, you take your apprentice hunting. Dartpaw, you may as well go with them, as Thistlepatch is with Fallingstar.” Dartpaw was happy to be hunting with Hollowpaw, especially as it would be the first time either of them would be allowed out of camp in a moon. But Dartpaw had one doubt. “That’s every warrior and apprentice gone. Who will defend the camp?” every cat turned to look at her and Dartpaw felt embarrassed; apprentices in ShadowClan did not usually speak to a warrior who wasn’t their mentor, unless they were spoken to. There were murmurs of agreement behind her. Crackfoot nodded. “I’m afraid that can’t be helped. Good thinking, though.” He added. “The elders can raise a few claws and the queens too. They’ll be fine.” He waved his tail and his patrol followed him out of the camp. Berryleaf signalled or Dartpaw to follow, but the apprentice hesitated. “Come on, Dartpaw!” mowed Hollowpaw, weaving around her happily. “Let’s go. Fallingstar will be back soon. Like Crackfoot said, they’ll be fine.” Dartpaw nodded, and raced out of camp. Let the hunt begin! ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Four Dartpaw padded back into the camp. Pride tingled through her as she dropped a frog and two mice on the fresh-kill pile. For so late in leaf-fall, that was a spectacular catch. Fallingstar seemed to think so too. She paused on her way across the clearing to nod approvingly. “She isn’t the only one who’s proud of you.” A voice behind her made Dartpaw jump. She turned to face Thistlepatch. The spiky grey she cat touched her nose to her apprentice’s ear. “You’ll be a warrior soon.” She sighed sadly. “I’ve enjoyed watching you grow up.” She shook her head and her voice became brisk. “Dawn patrol tomorrow, Dartpaw. You’ll need to get back onto your old routine.” For a moment Dartpaw just stood there, confused by the she-cats affection for her. Their relationship before that had been friendly, but never really close. This new perspective burst on Dartpaw like a ray of sunshine. Thistlepatch was getting old. She must be regretting that she had never had kits. Dartpaw felt a rush of warmth towards the she-cat. Dartpaw could understand how she felt. After all, she had never had a mother. “Dartpaw! Stop standing there like a moonstruck rabbit!” Hollowpaw bounded across to her from the warriors milling around the Great Branch. “We’re wanted.” His eyes glittered. “By Fallingstar.” “What for?” “Border patrol. With the clan leader.” He bounced like an excited kit. “Come on!” Dartpaw raced across the clearing, following her friends brown pelt. Her sense of excitement increased when she saw that they were the only cats on the patrol with Fallingstar. The leader gave them a friendly nod. “Let’s go!” She sprinted out of the clearing, the two apprentices bounding after her, determined to show her that they could keep up. Fallingstar slowed to a walk once she had put plenty of distance between her and the camp. The apprentices caught their breath as they trotted proudly at her shoulder. “I thought we’d patrol the RiverClan border. After all, with things so tense between ThunderClan and WindClan, I’m not going to take a patrol of three cats along that border.” The apprentices nodded, trying to look like wise warriors. Fallingstar noticed, and twitched her whiskers in amusement. They came to the RiverClan border nearest the lake. “Hollowpaw, what can you scent?” The brown tom opened his mouth to draw in the scents around him. “RiverClan and ShadowClan, obviously; the RiverClan’s quite fresh, I assume a patrol just went by. There’s Twoleg, but it’s quite stale, as no Twoleg’s come to the Boat Place in Leaf-Fall.” He paused and tasted the air again. “Fox, but it’s stale. I guess it was here a few days ago, until it crossed into RiverClan territory.” Fallingstar gave him a proud nod as he finished. “Exactly right,” she purred. They continued up the border line. When they were halfway there, Fallingstar turned to Dartpaw. “Now, what can you smell?” Dartpaw raised her muzzle – the thin muzzle with the white smudge for which she had been named – and sniffed the air. “RiverClan and ShadowClan again, and a fresh killed squirrel on the RiverClan side, I guess the patrol stopped to hunt.” She scented the air again, trying to block out the strong smell of the pines. “Is that all?” prompted Fallingstar. “No,” Dartpaw murmured. “There are RiverClan cats on our territory!” Fallingstar tasted the air. “You’re right!” she thought for a moment then said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll follow the scent and find the cats. If there are more than two cats, we go for help. If there are two cats or less, we attack.” The apprentices nodded, excited for the potential fight. They followed the scent to a dip just inside the ShadowClan border. Inside the dip, two warriors were playfully hunting. Dartpaw guessed that they were young. “Go around and cut of their escape route to the border,” Fallingstar hissed. “Be as quiet as possible.” Dartpaw and Hollowpaw crept around the lip of the hollow until they were in position. On the other side, they saw Fallingstar give them a small nod. Then she straightened up and crept threateningly up to the warriors who abandoned their hunting when they saw her. Dartpaw and Hollowpaw quickly crept up behind them. The RiverClan cat’s eyes widened in fear as they realized they were surrounded. “Thawfoot, Duskpelt, who dare you steal ShadowClan prey?” Fallingstar hissed. “You are breaking the warrior code!” The warriors looked away guiltily. “We didn’t actually catch anything…” Meowed Thawfoot. “Then it is due to your own incompetence rather than loyalty to the Code.” Snapped Fallingstar in reply. The white she-cat, Duskpelt, let out a low growl. “You’re saying that we’re bad hunters?” Fallingstar just looked at them with that sparkling gaze that often annoyed Dartpaw so much. It obviously annoyed the RiverClan cats too. They yowled and sprang into battle. Thawfoot leaped onto Fallingstar and Duskpelt turned to face the apprentices. Without hesitating, they attacked. Dartpaw and Hollowpaw ran at her, splitting up when they neared her and raking their claws down her flanks. Duskpelt kicked out with her hindpaws, catching Hollowpaw under the chin and sending him flying. Fuelled by rage on her friends behalf, Dartpaw grabbed her white fluffy tail and jerked it, hard enough to make the she-cat fall to her side, exposing her soft belly. Dartpaw slashed it viciously. Duskpelt yowled with pain and rolled out of the way. Dartpaw dropped into a crouch, hissing menacingly, and by that time Hollowpaw had recovered enough to help her. Duskpelt turned and fled, the two apprentices chasing her to the edge of the dip. They turned just in time to see Thawfoot follow her clanmate, blood dripping from a gash on her shoulder. Fallingstar watched with satisfaction. “You fought well,” she complimented Dartpaw and Hollowpaw. “And that was well scented, Dartpaw.” They finished marking the border then trekked back to camp. When they had entered the thorn tunnel, Fallingstar turned to them. “I’ll have a word with your mentors, and we’ll move forward the day of your final assessment. I think you’re ready.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Five Dartpaw paused, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She was in the part of ShadowClan territory where the pines grew close together and their branches started low. No moonlight could penetrate the thick canopy above her. This was where Dartpaw felt most comfortable. After all, she was just like any other ShadowClan cat, and could therefore wear the shadows like a second pelt. Thistlepatch’s scent was strong here, and so Dartpaw knew that the she-cat was nearby. But how could she get close enough to tackle her? As well as being able to wear the shadows, ShadowClan cats could distinguish the outline of a cat even on the darkest nights. That is, if they know where to look! ''With a surge of triumph, Dartpaw remembered a story that Sparrowfall had once told her, when she had been recovering in the medicine den after a belly ache and had become restless. The story had been about a battle between ShadowClan and ThunderClan, back when ThunderClan was the strongest clan, not the weakest. In the story, the ThunderClan warriors had won the battle because of their unusual techniques. The warriors had managed to climb up trees and drop down on the ShadowClan patrol. Thistlepatch wouldn’t be looking into the branches, instead, she’d be inspecting the shadows. Dartpaw was certain that the technique would help her to pass her assessment. She ran to the nearest tree and climbed into the lowest branches. She rustled a bit when she moved from tree to tree, but the night was breezy, and hopefully her mentor would think she was the wind in the trees. Finally, Dartpaw spotted her mentor by the ThunderClan border. Taking extra care, she positioned herself above her unsuspecting mentor. ''Now! Dartpaw dropped from the tree, landing squarely on Thistlepatch’s back. The she-cat let out a brief yowl of surprise. But because she had been unprepared, Dartpaw easily overpowered her and pinned her to the forest floor. She counted five seconds in her head before she let the spiky she cat up. Thistlepatch turned to her, eyes gleaming proudly, but there was confusion in her gaze. “Where did you come from?” Dartpaw smiled and flicked her tail to the branches above. Thistlepatch’s jaw dropped. “You seriously travelled through the trees?” “Yup. I thought it was the best way to evade you.” Thistlepatch just nodded, still looking impressed. Back at camp, Dartpaw bounded over to the other apprentices, who were waiting for her, while Thistlepatch joined the other mentors by Fallingstar. “How did you go? Did you pass?” Hollowpaw looked nervous for his friend. “It was great!” She recounted what happened, and the other apprentices shared their stories too. Everycat had passed. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Six “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high branch for a clan meeting!” The apprentices raced out of their den. Their mentors had told them to get some sleep until sunhigh, but none of them – except Daisypaw, who wanted to look her best for her ceremony – had. The clan gathered in the clearing, their eyes lighting up when they saw the apprentices standing beneath the tree, as if they guessed what was happening. When the cats were silent, Fallingstar began. “I, Fallingstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and we commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Thistlepatch, Berryleaf, Icegaze, Twistedtail and Greysky, are you confident that your apprentices are ready?” The mentors nodded their approval. “And do you, Hollowpaw, Daisypaw, Dartpaw, Leapingpaw and Marshpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do,” said Leapingpaw excitedly. “I do,” said Marshpaw solemnly. “I do,” said Hollowpaw nervously. “I do,” said Dartpaw quietly and sincerely. “I do,” said Daisypaw, looking rather bored. Fallingstar leaped down from the branch. “Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. From this moment on, you shall be known as: Leapingfrog, Dartnose, Hollowtrunk, Daisyfoot and Marshgaze. StarClan honours your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as full warriors of ShadowClan.” “Leapingfrog! Dartnose! Hollowtrunk! Daisyfoot! Marshgaze!” the clan chanted enthusiastically. “Unfortunately, they will not be able to sit vigil tonight, as they will be going to the Gathering.” Fallingstar announced. “And there is one more thing to be done.” The clan murmured in surprise. With a smile on her face, Fallingstar continued. “Sweetkit and Mossykit, you have now entered your sixth moon, and the time has come for you to be apprentices. Come forward.” The kits scampered up to the leader. The clan purred with amusement as Mossykit tripped over his own paws in his excitement. “From this day on you shall be known as Sweetpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you as you train.” She paused and looked for the cat that she was about to name mentor. “Crackfoot.” She called and the tom stepped forward. “Crackfoot, you mentored Whiskertwitch and he is a credit to this clan. I ask you know to mentor Sweetpaw.” The mentor and apprentice touched noses and retreated to the edge of the clearing. “From this day on you will be known as Mossypaw,” Fallingstar continued. “I ask StarClan to guide your paws in the way of the Warrior. Inkheart, your time for an apprentice is long overdue. You will mentor Mossypaw.” The two cats touched noses. “Sweetpaw, Mossypaw! Sweetpaw, Mossypaw!” the clan cheered, and Dartnose joined in. Today, ShadowClan had gained five new warriors and two apprentices. The clan was stronger than ever! ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Seven The full moon shone down onto the island, outlining every leaf and blade of grass. Dartnose looked around to find her friends from the other clans. She couldn’t wait to tell them that she was a warrior! She spotted Webpaw and Silkpaw form RiverClan and bounded over to them. “Hey guys!” She mewed cheerfully. Silkpaw turned away angrily but Webpaw had bright eyes as he greeted her. “Guess what? I’m a Warrior! My name is Dartnose!” She gushed, ignoring whatever was wrong with Silkpaw. “So are we! We’re Silkweb and Webtail!” replied Webtail. Silkweb stalked off with a sniff. “Did I do something wrong?” Dartnose asked anxiously. “Well,” Webtail glanced uncomfortably after his sister. “She heard about how you and her friend beat Duskpelt, and Duskpelt was her mentor.” Dartnose nodded, understanding. Hollowtrunk bounded up and began to talk to Webtail. Dartnose tuned out and began to look around the clearing. She noticed that WindClan and ThunderClan stayed on opposite sides of the clearing and didn’t talk to eachother. Dartnose wondered what Fallingstar would say about ThunderClan. They had been stealing ShadowClan prey. “Dartnose? Hello? Earth to Dartnose!” Hollowtrunk was calling her name. “What?” She reluctantly dragged her attention back to the conversation. “I said, do you think that Brookpaw and Rabbitpaw will have their names too?” He asked, naming their WindClan friends. “Oh. Uh... maybe.” Dartnose replied, craning her neck to see if she could see them. “All clans gather beneath the Great Oak to start this gathering!” Skystar commanded, snatching the attention of all cats. “Come on, I want to get a good seat!” Called Hollowtrunk, weaving his way to the front. Dartnose mewed goodbye to Webtail and followed. They found places near the front, with Leapingfrog and Marshgaze. Dartnose spotted Daisyfoot blatantly obviously playing coy as Jumpfoot from RiverClan enthusiastically offered her a seat. Dartnose snorted. At least Icegaze taught her something. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Eight Skystar, the huge leader of ThunderClan, began. “ThunderClan is thriving!” He announced. “The medicine cat apprentice Sneakpaw has now got his full name as Sneakfoot. Prey is running well.” Dartnose doubted that was true. The moonlight outlined the frames of all the ThunderClan warriors, and Dartnose could see their ribs. Next Cavestar stood. “To this gathering, WindClan brings two new warriors. Brooksong and Rabbithop.” He paused and cats cheered for them, Dartnose included. She was proud of her friends. ThunderClan remained stonily silent. “Also, Redsky, Grassyfoot and apple-eye are mentors to Beepaw, Wildpaw, and Burrpaw. The rabbits are running well, but not too fast to catch.” The other cats murmured in satisfaction and amusement. Cavestar was a good leader, Dartnose realized, because of the way he can win over cats’ minds with words. Troutstar of RiverClan stood up to make her report next. “We bring two new warriors, Webtail and Silkweb. We are thankful that the river has not frozen over, in spite of the recent snow fall.” The leader sat down. Dartnose leaned forward as Fallingstar stood. “Cats of all clans!” she yowled. “To this Gathering, ShadowClan brings five new warriors and two new apprentices. Hollowtrunk, Dartnose, Leapingfrog, Daisyfoot, Marshgaze, Sweetpaw and Mossypaw.” There were cheers of congratulations. But Fallingstar wasn’t finished. “I also bring news of theft and trespass. Two RiverClan warriors were caught in our territory a half-moon or so ago, and Thunderclan has been stealing our prey since the last Gathering!” ShadowClan yowled agreement. Cavestar quickly added: “ThunderClan have been scented on our territory too! And RiverClan.” RiverClan and ThunderClan howled their protest. Skystar let out a commanding yowl, and the cats gradually fell silent. “Fallingstar, I admit that my clan has crossed your border. But we were starving, Fallingstar. I could not simply stand by and watch my clan die. What kind of leader would do that?” “What kind of leader would admit such weakness at a Gathering?” She countered. Indeed, the ThunderClan warriors were looking at their leader with betrayal in their eyes. Skystar turned to Cavestar, suddenly furious. “And you!” he spat. “We have never hunted on your territory.” Cavestar gave an insolent yawn. Skystar let out a yowl of fury. The cats leaped at each other, both tumbling out of the tree. They wrestled eachother on the ground beneath the roots. Although Skystar was hungry, his skills had not deserted him. He dug his teeth into Cavestar’s throat, biting viciously. He sprang away quickly. Cavestar lay motionless. All four clans leaned toward him in horror. Hollyflower, the WindClan medicine cat, hurried up to him and gave him a quick inspection. Then she stood back. Pinkdawn, a pretty WindClan she cat crept forward, staring at Hollyflower. “Why aren’t you helping him?” she mewed in a small voice. “He is losing a life,” Hollyflower said gravely. “There is nothing I can do.” Pinkdawn let out a small whimper and nudged Cavestar. “Don’t die, Father. Please.” Cavestar’s mate, Runningstream, nudged the young she cat back to the ranks of WindClan, just as the great leader gave a huge gasp. Hollyflower ran up and began treating the wound on his neck. Cavestar shook her off impatiently and turned to Skystar. “Skystar, you shall pay for this,” he said in a murderously quiet tone. “WindClan will slaughter your clan, every single warrior.” There was a trace of fear and apprehension in Skystar’s eyes as WindClan left the island.